Page 35 of Kiss Me Forever

"I don't think that's true. But if I have some time later tomorrow, I'll give you a call."

He paused, his gaze so dark and intense her stomach did a little flip-flop. Was he going to kiss her again?

The air between them sparked. She could practically see the fire, but when Alex moved, it wasn't to kiss her; it was to walk away.

Frustrated with him and with herself, she went into her apartment and shut the door, wondering how on earth she was going to write a serious story about a man she really just wanted to take to bed.

* * *

Alex drove back to his house, feeling extremely irritated with himself. The night had not gone at all as he'd planned, nor had any other part of the day. Andrea had gotten him off track in a big way. He'd not only taken her to the gym, he'd also shown her one of his private places where he went to think or escape. And he'd never taken anyone to the airport before, at least not that part of the airport. But he'd wanted to take her. He'd wanted to share something of himself, even if he couldn’t share everything.

More importantly, he'd just wanted to be alone with her.

His plan to surround her with people and parties was bothering him as much as it was bothering her. Not because he wanted to tell her anything about himself, but because he wanted to know more about her. She was very different from the women he usually dated. She had a passion for her career, a true calling for what she did, and how many people could say that? She was honest and open and interested in everything, and he liked that she didn't choose her words too carefully, that she spoke from the heart.

But while all those qualities made him like her more, it also made it more difficult for him to keep her at arm's length, to stay professional.

She was right—that kiss had not been professional, and while he tried to tell himself that kissing her was just part of the plan to keep her distracted from asking questions, he knew deep down that he'd just wanted to taste her lips, feel her mouth under his. And he hadn't wanted to stop with a kiss. It had taken all of his willpower to leave her at her door.

But he wasn't completely stupid. He couldn't let desire take over his good sense. Andrea might be one of the most interesting and beautiful women he'd met in a long time, but she was also a reporter. And when she went after a story, she went all in.

He needed to step back and regroup. Hopefully, twenty-four hours without seeing her would send his blood flowing in the right direction again—back to his brain.

* * *

With Alex off her Sunday schedule, Andrea joined her friends and fellow bridesmaids for Sunday brunch at the Bella Mar Café, a seafood restaurant famous for its Sunday brunch and spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay. She was excited to get together with at least some of the girls and hopefully talk about Laurel's bachelorette party. She knew her sister would not be making it to brunch, as Laurel's fiancé's father was having a birthday party today.

After parking her car in the garage across the street, she ran into her friend Liz Palmer, and they exchanged a happy hug then walked to the elevator together. Liz was a pretty dark blonde with big brown eyes that were always sharp and inquisitive. In their group, Liz had been the smart, somewhat serious one, the girl who generally didn't make as many impulsive mistakes as the rest of them. And Andrea had always considered Liz's advice to be spot-on.

"How did the hunt for the wedding photographer go?" Andrea asked, remembering that Laurel, Liz and Kate had spent Saturday in search of a replacement.

"Great," Liz replied. "Laurel liked the second guy we spoke to. We showed his portfolio to your mom, and she signed off. So crisis averted."

"Thank goodness. Now tell me how your dad is doing."

Shadows entered Liz's eyes. "Not well. He's had cancer for a while, as you know. They've been trying to put it in remission, but nothing has been working."

"I'm really sorry."

"I know. It's rough, but he's a strong man, and he's a fighter. We're hoping things will turn around."

"How is it at work without him there?"

"Not great. Dad's partners are acting like he's already gone, and I'm a reminder that he's not. They can't just ride over his ideas or his part of the partnership while I'm there. Anyway, we don't need to talk about all that. I'm thrilled to see you here. I wasn't sure you were going to make brunch today," she added as they got on the elevator and rode it down to the street level.

"I wasn't either, but my schedule opened up."

"Kate thought you might be tied up with some sexy millionaire you're interviewing," she said with a curious smile.

"He wasn't available to talk to me today."

"But you've been spending some time with him, so what's he like?"

"He's really attractive, charming, has a great smile and sense of humor. He doesn't seem to take himself too seriously. But he's also got some mystery to him. There are shadows in his eyes. He's hard to read. I feel like I've gotten to know him a little, but there's so much more to find out."

"You like him, don't you?"

She frowned. "How I feel about him isn't relevant to the article I'm writing."

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